


The Confession

by laireshi



Category: Avengers (Comics), Marvel 616
Genre: Angst, M/M, Not A Fix-It, hickmanvengers, post NA#3, the mindwipe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-18
Updated: 2014-04-18
Packaged: 2018-01-19 19:29:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1481314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laireshi/pseuds/laireshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even in the darkest moment, he'd never thought it would come to this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Confession

**Author's Note:**

> It feels like a good moment to repost [it](http://laireshi.tumblr.com/post/75772756751/the-confession) from tumblr.
> 
> I should probably say, if that's not obvious from the title; the premise of the fic _is_ a character death, but no one actually dies "on screen", so I wasn't sure about the warnings.
> 
> And . . . Well, we all fear it'll happen, right?

They solved the problem.

They stopped the incursions.

Funny how it didn’t seem like a victory at all. No when he was alone at the end of it.

“You left me,” he said.

“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t – there’s one thing I’ll never forgive you and it’s that you left me.”

There was no answer. Of course.

There would never be any answer again, not a kind smile, not a playful laugh.

Just an image, burnt behind his eyelids forever, a man in an iron suit falling to his death, or maybe dead already, falling from the sky, falling, because he tried to do it alone.

Because he had no choice.

Because Steve refused him any other option.

“It wasn’t supposed to be this way,” he whispered. “I was angry. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so, so sorry.” His voice broke and his fingers shook. He tightened them on his shield.

“You’ve always told me I was too stubborn.” Sometimes in anger, sometimes as a joke. “You were right.”

“You were right.” He blinked away tears. “But it’s too late now. It’s too late.” For everything.

He should have hugged him when he had the chance. He should have stopped him. Told him he didn’t mean it.

_I’ll never trust you again._

He’d never forgive himself saying the words.

_You haven’t changed, you’ve always been a traitor, Stark._

How fucking stupid he’d been.

“It doesn’t matter now,” he said. “I – I’m sorry. I wasn’t right. I thought I had to – I didn’t. I should’ve listened.”

Things would never be the same now.

He was shaking all over now, sobs wrecking his body. He didn’t care.

“I thought my rules, my morals…” he couldn’t say it. He reached out a hand to touch a cold gauntlet. He didn’t look at the face visible under the open faceplate. “It wasn’t worth it, Tony.”


End file.
